South CarolinainThe War Between the StatesTimeline

1865[Under construction]

January 1865

January 13-15, 1865 - 2nd Fort Fisher (North Carolina)
After Admiral David D. Porter's squadron of warships had subjected Fort Fisher to a
terrific bombardment, General Alfred H. Terry's troops took it by storm on January 15,
and Wilmington, North Carolina, the last resort of the blockade-runners, was sealed off.

Jan 31, 1865 - The
U.S. Congress approves the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States
Constitution, to abolish slavery. The amendment is then submitted to the states
for ratification.

January 1865 - Transportation problems and successful blockades caused severe
shortages of food and supplies in the South. Starving soldiers began to desert Lee's forces,
and although President Jefferson Davis approved the arming of slaves as a means of
augmenting the shrinking army, the measure was never put into effect.

February 1865 - Sherman Marches through North and South Carolina
Union General Sherman moved from Georgia through South Carolina, destroying almost everything in his path.

Carolinas Campaign (February-April 1865)

Feb 3, 1865 - A peace conference
occurs as President Lincoln meets with Confederate Vice President Alexander
Stephens at Hampton Roads in Virginia, but the meeting ends in failure -
the war will continue.

Only Lee's Army at Petersburg and Johnston's forces in North Carolina remain
to fight for the South against Northern forces now numbering 280,000 men.

March 4, 1865 - Inauguration ceremonies for
President Lincoln in Washington. "With malice toward none; with charity for
all...let us strive on to finish the work we are in...to do all which may
achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all
nations," Lincoln says.

March 25, 1865 - The last offensive for
Lee's Army of Northern Virginia begins with an attack on the center of Grant's
forces at Petersburg. Four hours later the attack is broken.

April 1865 - Richmond Falls
On March 25, General Lee attacked General Grant's forces near Petersburg, but was defeated
-- attacking and losing again on April 1. On April 2, Lee evacuated Richmond, the
Confederate capital, and headed west to join with other forces.

April 1, 1865 - Five Forks

April 2, 1865 - Grant's forces begin a
general advance and break through Lee's lines at Petersburg. Confederate Gen.
Ambrose P. Hill is killed. Lee evacuates Petersburg. The Confederate Capital,
Richmond, is evacuated. Fires and looting break out. The next day, Union troops
enter and raise the Stars and Stripes.

April 4, 1865 - President Lincoln tours
Richmond where he enters the Confederate
White House. With "a serious, dreamy expression," he sits at the desk of
Jefferson Davis for a few moments.

Lee Surrenders

April 9, 1865 - Appomattox Court House
Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate Army to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at
the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Grant allows Rebel officers
to keep their sidearms and permits soldiers to keep horses and mules.
"After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and
fortitude the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to
overwhelming numbers and resources," Lee tells his troops.

April 14, 1865 - The Stars and Stripes is
ceremoniously raised over Fort Sumter. That night, Lincoln and his wife Mary see
the play "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater. At 10:13 p.m., during the
third act of the play, John Wilkes Booth shoots the president in the head.
Doctors attend to the president in the theater then move him to a house across
the street. He never regains consciousness.

April 15, 1865 - President Abraham Lincoln
dies at 7:22 in the morning. Vice President Andrew
Johnson assumes the presidency.

Lincoln's Funeral Procession on Pennsylvania Ave. - April 19, 1865

Johnston Surrenders

April 26, 1865 - Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston formally surrenders
to Sherman at the Bennett House near Durham in North Carolina.
...more about Johnston's Surrender to Sherman

April 26, 1865 - John Wilkes Booth is shot
and killed in a tobacco barn in Virginia.

In May 1865 - Remaining
Confederate forces surrender. The Nation is reunited as the Civil War ends. Over 620,000 Americans
died in the war, with disease killing twice as many as those lost in battle.
50,000 survivors return home as amputees.

November 10, 1865 - The superintendent of the Confederate prison at
Andersonville, Georgia, Captain Henry Wirz, was tried by a military commission presided
over by General Lew Wallace from August 23 to October 24, 1865, and was hanged in the yard
of the Old Capitol Prison on November 10.

Dec 6, 1865 - The Thirteenth Amendment to
the United States Constitution, passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, is
finally ratified. Slavery is abolished.